Mastodawn

First thing on the new bench: this tv test pattern generator. It uses a flying spot scanner - a CRT scans a spot across a transparency, and the varying intensity is picked up by a photomultiplier tube and becomes the video signal 🤯. In. Sane.
#electronics #1970s #retroTech

alphabetter Mar 6

Sorry to hear that!

alphabetter Mar 5

I’m Tired And Everything Hurts Mar 5

I miss the days when NFTs were the stupidest thing I'd ever heard of.

alphabetter Feb 17

Quantum ⊂ AI Feb 17

Wait WHAT? HOLY SHIT

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clygz17y5kdo

Eurovision 2026: Electronic artist Look Mum No Computer to represent UK in Vienna

The synth artist and Eurovision fan says he finds it "completely bonkers" to be representing the UK.

BBC News

alphabetter Feb 15

New blog: Cheap as Chips Logic Analyzers in 2026. Amazing what you can buy for less than a fish supper.

https://lushprojects.com/blog/2026/02/cheap-logic-analyzers-2026/

alphabetter Feb 13

BBC commentator to curling expert: "How important is momentum to the game of curling?"

My brain: "Very important. Without momentum the stones would just stop when you let go of them."

#olympics #curling #geek #technicallycorrect #bestkindofcorrectness

alphabetter Feb 4

I never much liked the Arduino Serial implementation. The API is klunky and not having control of the buffer sizes without modifying the platform is meh.

Anyway, it turns out that if you use a Uno4 the Serial implemenation is even more limited. The only write-up I can find is this, but it saved one of my projects: https://www.hackster.io/chuygen/fix-your-arduino-uno-r4-uart-issues-b52e4a